Flexible toilet paper holder



Aug. 28, 1962 w. D. RITCHEY FLEXIBLE TOILET PAPER HOLDER INVENTOR. WILLIAM RITCHEY ATTORNEY United States Patent Q P 3,051,404 FLEXIBLE TOHET PAPER HOLDER William D. Ritchey, 684 NE. 40th St., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Filed Aug. 15, 1961, Ser. No. 131,639 4 Claims. (61. 242-55.2)

This invention relates to a holding device for rolls of toilet paper or other rolls of material that are to be dispensed in sheet form.

The invention contemplates a novel toilet paper roll holder to be substituted for the old conventional wood roller that has a spring pressed plug at one end and a llxed plug at the other end whereby the holder may be inserted into a conventional wall support having sockets for the reception of the plugs.

The invention contemplates a roll holder of novel construction that is formed primarily of a coiled metallic spring, having an end cap of conical form fixed at one end and an end cap that is biased in an axial direction at the opposite end and that is movable axially with respect to the spring whereby the end caps have compressible seating engagement into the conventional sockets of a wall bracket or support to thus permit the holder to be slightly compressed and swung downwardly to the loading position for the roll paper and/or the discharge of a core of a depleted roll and with the axially movable end cap being then compressed and the holder swung bodily into snapping engagement with the sockets of the paper holder.

The invention also contemplates a roll holder that is connected at one end to the bracket and free at the other end for compression and expansion into the adjacent socket; a further object resides in forming a roll holder that is formed as a permanent connection to one wing portion of a roll holder and whereby spring means constituting the roller and spring means for projecting an end cap have adjacent ends molded into a ceramic or other relatively permanent bracket device for use in toilets.

A further object of the invention resides in forming a completely detachable expandable roll holder that has a coil spring covered by a sheet of flexible plastic and with the spring having fixedly attached conical end caps for snapping engagement into the holder for the toilet paper.

Novel features of construction and operation of the device will be more clearly apparent during the course of the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein has been illustrated a preferred form of the device and wherein like characters of reference are employed to denote like parts throughout the several figures.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of a toilet paper holder constructed in accordance with the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal section taken substantially on line 22 of FIGURE 1 and with parts of the support being shown fragmentarily,

FIGURE 3 is a plan view showing the toilet paper holder of FIGURE 1 in the operative position for loading or unloading the device,

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary section through one end of a modified form of toilet paper holder,

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary section through a further modified form of toilet paper holder, and

FIGURE 6 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section illustrating a further modified form of toilet paper holder.

Referring specifically to the drawings and particularly to FIGURES l and 3, there has been illustrated a fixed housing support for a toilet paper roll, shown as a whole by the numeral 5. The holder 5 embodies Wing sections 3,051,404 Patented Aug. 28, 1962 usually formed of ceramics, metal or the like.

Adapted to have a snapping engagement into the sockets '7, is a toilet paper roll holder, indicated as a whole by the numeral 8. The holder 8 comprises an elongated closely packed spring 9, having end caps 10, provided with conical ends 11. The spring 9 is flexible and at one end is fixed with respect to the end cap 10, While the opposite end cap 10 is movable in telescopic relation to the spring 9 and biased outwardly, in a manner to be presently described. As shown in the modified form of FIGURE 2, the spring 9 is spot welded or otherwise fixed into one end cap 10 -so that at least one or possibly two convolutions of the spring have a fixed bearing engagement into its respective end cap. The opposite end cap 16* is slidable over the spring 9 and mounted coaxial to the spring 9, and an inner compression spring 12. The spring 12 has one end welded or otherwise connected to a disc 13 that is fixedly connected to the fixed end cap 10 while the opposite end of the spring 12 is fixed to a plate 13, that has threaded engagement with an axially arranged shaft 14. The shaft 14 has a head portion 15, that is fixed axially with respect to the cone 11 and whereby the shaft 14 is non-rotatable. To adjust tension of the spring 12 with respect to the movable cap 10, the cap is bodily rotated, causing the shaft 14 to rotate and to feed through the disc 13 so as to impart less or greater tension upon the spring 12. Any suitable thread-locking means may be employed to prevent accidental rotation of the disc 13. Thus, the particular end cap 10 may be adjusted as to spring tension so as to have sufficient axial pressure to permit its engagement and removal into the socket 7 of the respective wing portions 6.

As shown in FIGURE 2, it may be found desirable to connect the opposite end cap 10 to the respective Wing 6 by a screw 16, that is passed through a suitable opening 17 in the wing 6, axially to the socket 7 and to have threaded engagement through a threaded aperture 18 of the apex of the cone 11 of the respective end cap. Thus, the roll holder can be fixedly attached to the bracket device to prevent unauthorized removal and may be employed with respect to paper holders presently in use by merely drilling the hole 17 in the presently installed brackets. The device as shown in FIGURE 1 constitutes a paper holder that may be substituted for the conventional Wood roller now in use and that is compressible and relatively non-flexible for its particular length so as to successfully support a roll of toilet paper or the like in a freely rotative manner. The only difference in struc-' ture between FIGURES 1 and 2 resides in the employment of the fastening screw 16 so as to permanently attach the roll holder to the supporting bracket.

Referring now to FIGURE 4, there has been fragmentarily illustrated the coil spring 18, corresponding to the spring 9 and disposed within the coil spring 18, is a corresponding compression spring 19. The springs 18 and 19 project beyond a ferrule or ring 20 and their terminal convolutions are molded into the wing 6' of the toilet paper bracket. The opposite end of the springs 18 and 19 have connection with the cap 10 in the same manner illustrated in FIGURE 2 and whereby the spring 9 and associated parts may be readily swung downwardly for the loading and unloading of a roll of paper.

In the modified form of the invention illustrated in FIGURE 6, there has been illustrated a replacement roller or trunnion for the rotatable support of the roll of toilet paper, such holder embodying end caps 21, having conical end portions 22,. similar to the first form of the invention. Fixed into the end caps 21, as by welding to discs 23, is a coil spring 24. The end conspring 24 and are limited in their expansion by the sheath 25. When the device is to be installed into a paper bracket, the device is merely compressed, first inserting one end into a socket 7, and, with the roll of paper disposed thereon, the opposite cap is pressed inwardly against the tension of the spring and is permitted to snap into the opposite socket 7.

In the use of the device, assuming that the device is to be employed as a replacement roller for the usual well known wood rollers, the paper roll is engaged over the end caps and the spring 9 is then engaged into the sockets 7, the roll of paper indicated by dotted lines at a in FIGURE 3 will then ride or rotate upon the straight sections of the end caps 10. When the paper has become exhausted, the operator merely presses inwardly upon an end cap 10, causing it to disengage from the socket 7 at which time the roller or holder 9' can be swung downwardly to permit the withdrawal of the usual paper core upon which the toilet paper has been wound.

Where the roller 9 is fixed to one side of the paper holder,

as illustrated in FIGURE 2, the paper support will as- 'sume a downward angle as illustrated in FIGURE 3, one

.end being held by the screw 16 and it should be pointed out at this time that the relative stiffness of the coil 9 will create a bending action abruptly at the point indicated in FIGURE 3 and whereby the major length of the coil will remain straight and in close packed relation. The modified form shown in FIGURES 4 through 6 obviously will operate in a similar manner to that described with respect to the first form of the invention.

Itwill be apparent from the foregoing that a very novel form of the toilet paper holder has been provided. The structure is simple, cheap to manufacture, may readily accommodate itself to brackets having variously spaced sockets, is quickly and easily shifted to receive and to discharge a roll therefrom and is ornamental in appearance.

Various other means for providing a similar article will'suggest itself to others skilled in the art and no attempt has been made 'to disclose all of the different ways that a roller of this type can be constructed to at all times exert tension upon one or both end caps. One other suggested means for connecting the paper holder 8 to the arms 6 of the toilet paper holder is illustrated in FIGURE 5, where the springs 18 and 19 are mounted within a cylindrical cup 20'. The end convolutions of the spring 18 are welded or otherwise connected to the cup 20 and the end convolution of the spring 19 is welded or otherwise connected to the bottom of the cup 20. The cup 20 is fixedly attached to the arms 6 by a threaded fastening device 27. The opposite end of the springs 18 and 19 are fixed with respect to a conical cap, such as that illustrated in the first form of the invention.

' It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction shown, but that changes are contemplated as readily fall within the spirit of the invention as shall be determined by the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Means for rotatably supporting a roll of toilet paper in a fixed wall bracket, the bracket being of the type that is provided with a'pair of wings that are socketed and with the "socketsin opposed relation, the said means embodying a roll-forming member that extends between the 4;,- wings, the roll-forming member consisting of an elongated close-packed coil spring on which the roll of paper is directly mounted, a cylindrical end cap fixedly connected to one end of the spring, the end cap having a conical portion that is adapted to seat in a socket of one wing, a cylindrical cap for the opposite end of the spring having a conical portion for engagement in the other socket of the opposite wing, the last named cap overlying and being slidable upon the end portion of the spring, compression means disposed within the spring axially thereof, the compression means being fixed at one end to the first-named end cap and at its opposite end being adjustab-ly connected to the second-named cap whereby the second-named cap is biased outwardly axially of the spring to yieldably engage the conical portion of the second-named cap into the socket of the adjacent wing.

2. The structure according to claim 1, whereby the compression means consist of a coil spring that is fixed at the one end to a fixed plate disposed in the first-named end cap, the first named end cap fixedly supporting the adjacent ends of the first and second-named springs, the opposite end of the second-named spring having an end convolution fixed to a flat disc, the disc being centrally apertured and threaded and a threaded bolt axially disposed in the second-named cap and engaging the disc, the second-named spring being adjustable as to tension by the manual rotation of the second-named cap, the rotation of the second-named cap also varying the length of the support.

3. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the firstnamed end cap is fixed with respect to its adjacent wing, the cone of the said end cap being apertured and threaded, the said wing being ape-rtured centrally of its socket and a threaded bolt passing through the wing and engaging the threads of the cone aperture, the roll-forming member being laterally flexible to load and unload the roll of paper.

4. A toilet paper roll holder for mounting in a fixed wall bracket having spaced wings provided with sockets, the holder comprising an elongated closely-convolutioned coil spring on which the roll is directly mount-ed, a cylindrical end cap fixedly attached to one end of said spring, said end cap having a conical terminal seating in the socket of one of the wings, a fastening element extending through said one wing and passing axially through the socket and through the apex of the conical portion of the end cap, an end cap fitting loosely and axially adjustable on the opposite end of the coil spring, the last-mentioned end cap also having a conical terminal for removable fitment in the socket of the second wing, a threaded shaft mounted in the apex of the last-mentioned end cap and projecting through the cap and entering the coil spring, a second coil spring having convolutions spaced farther apart than those of the first-mentioned coil spring and located within the first-mentioned spring, the second coil spring being secured at one end to the fixed end cap, a disk secured to the second end of the second coil spring, said disk being located within the second end cap and being threadably adjustable on the shaft therein, and the second end cap being rotative to thereby adjust the tension of the second spring.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,182,072 Bodensick May 9, 1916 1,664,392 Baruch Apr. 3, 1928 2,382,249 Megar Aug. 14, 1945 2,486,607 Laystrom'et al Nov. 1, 1949 2,649,971 Marchand Aug. 25, 1953 2,801,809 Glaner Aug. 6, 1957 2,858,994 Sarro Nov. 4, 1958 2,903,199 Gralewicz Sept. 8, 1959 2,935,270 Martin May 3, 1960 

